Chapter 43: The Mystery of the Mangekyo Sharingan [Combined Chapter]
"You bastard! Stay away from my big brother!"
Hearing this voice, Ling couldn't help but lower his head and whispered urgently, "Hey, Hiro, are you done yet? I told you we should do this inside the house... How am I going to explain this later?"
Uchiha Hiro glanced back at Madara, who was covering Izuna's eyes and looking extremely angry. He snorted and turned his head back. "Explain what? He's already a ninja and not blind. Can't he tell what I'm doing to you? Lift it up more and turn around."
Ling sighed and cooperated as if resigning himself to fate. "That's why I said you should let me take off my clothes properly..."
"Really! Big brother, stop cooperating with that guy!"
Izuna, who had just arrived at the door and had his eyes covered and saw nothing, was confused when he heard this. He reached out and tugged at Madara's sleeve. "Hey, Madara - nii, what exactly happened? What's wrong with big brother and who? Cooperate with what?"
Madara looked down at Izuna, then looked up at the two people over there who were being so unrestrained. He gritted his teeth, picked up Izuna with both hands, and ran quickly into the house. "Just you wait!"
Hearing the deliberately heavy footsteps, Uchiha Hiro made a disgusted face. "Your little brother gets angry so easily. He's completely different from you. You're so laid - back outside of missions and training that people can walk all over you."
"
"No, I just don't want to waste time on useless arguments. Anyway, you're the kind of person who won't stop until you achieve your goal... By the way, are you done yet?" Ling sighed. "At least finish before Madara rushes out and throws a tantrum again."
"Alright, always nagging... " Uchiha Hiro pouted and retracted his hand. "There are only slight cracks in your ribs now, and your muscle condition is completely normal. But how should I put it? You're a bit resistant to healing chakra. It might be a bit difficult to treat you when you get injured in the future..."
"What concerns me the most is that your injury is healing abnormally fast, almost as fast as that Senju I interrogated last time. I guess you accidentally used lightning - attribute chakra to stimulate your cells and had a small evolution. It's just this kind of post - acquired physical vitality..."
...
Madara was almost furious with Ling's peers.
It's bad enough that they all cling to his big brother, but now they even dare to be so rude to his big brother?! The most infuriating part is that his big brother actually indulges them so much?! If someone from his own generation dared to treat him like this, Madara would definitely give them a couple of slaps!
[No, I can't let big brother tolerate them like this anymore! Good people are easily taken advantage of, just as gentle horses are easily ridden. Big brother is just too indulgent towards them!!(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻]
After quickly settling the confused Izuna, Madara rushed towards the door like a gust of wind. He was thinking about how he could successfully stab that [Second among his peers]. But just as he reached the door, he heard the conversation between the two -
" - This kind of post - acquired physical vitality will also significantly reduce a person's lifespan. Compared to your original body, you'll probably lose about five or six years of your life."
Madara's charging motion suddenly froze.
[Lose lifespan? Is it big brother? Could it be because of that [sparring]? But why would this happen... ]
There was a hint of scarlet in Madara's eyes. The blue veins on the hand holding the sword popped out one by one as he tightened his grip. But just when black dots appeared in his pupils, about to form tomoe, Ling's voice came right after -
"Whoa! This is really unexpected! No wonder I got used to my body again so quickly this time! Isn't this a blessing in disguise?"
"Tsk! Such a show of false humility after getting the upper hand."
"Hey~ I made such a big gain this time. I really feel like showing off."
The scarlet in Madara's eyes immediately faded, replaced by full - blown shock.
[Why...? Why can he still be so happy after knowing that he's lost some lifespan, even wanting to show off? Isn't big brother angry or regretful at all? ]
At this time, outside, Ling turned his head slightly towards Madara's direction with a smile on his face. "Madara, if you want to listen, just come out and listen openly. I don't have anything to hide from you."
Uchiha Hiro glanced at Madara, who looked confused, and couldn't help but grab Ling's arm again to study the changes in his body. "Tsk tsk. If I didn't have Lightning - Attribute chakra, I'd give it a shot myself. The benefits outweigh the risks."
Madara's eyebrows almost knitted together. "Why? Doesn't it shorten one's lifespan? Why would anyone do that? Aren't people afraid of death?"
Uchiha Hiro scoffed. "Afraid of death? Go out and ask right now, and then if tearing every muscle in your body apart with Lightning - Attribute chakra, a process worse than death itself, could give you a recovery ability comparable to the Senju's - no, that's not right, twice your original recovery ability - how many clan members do you think would try it? I don't even need to think to know that at least nine out of ten would jump at the chance without hesitation."
Ling also laughed. "Hiro's right. Sacrificing just five or six years of lifespan for such incredible physical recovery ability? The clan members would all want to give it a go."
Madara walked over to Ling and swatted away Uchiha Hiro's groping hand. "Big brother, I still don't get it... You always say that life is precious, but this is sacrificing life, isn't it?"
Ling reached out and ruffled Madara's hair, a gentle smile on his lips. "Madara, do you know the average lifespan of our ninjas?"
"… No, not really. But surely a person can live to be fifty or sixty, right?"
"That's both right and wrong. Humans can indeed live to be fifty or sixty, but the average age of us ninjas is less than thirty," Ling retracted his hand and sighed. "And this isn't just the average lifespan of our clan; it's for all ninjas in the ninja world... It's not that our lifespan is short by nature, but the intense conflicts in this world make it hard for us to live long."
"Only... thirty?"
Uchiha Hiro spoke up again at this moment. "It's less than thirty. Once ninjas reach a certain age, their physical functions start to decline. With the current intensity of conflicts, physical decline is basically a death sentence.
Losing five years could very well help us live to forty or even fifty... Isn't it more important to stay alive than to worry about an uncertain lifespan?"
Madara opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but couldn't find the right words for a long time.
[Is it really more important to stay alive than to worry about an uncertain lifespan?]
Seeing Madara lost in a daze, Uchiha Hiro brought up another topic. "Hey, Ling, can you figure out what you did? I think it could be popularized if we make proper preparations."
"Um..." Ling stroked his chin. "Hard to say. My chakra was out of control at that time. It'll be quite difficult to replicate it again...
But I'll give it a try. It'd be great if at least the clan members with Lightning - Attribute could benefit from it. By the way, Hiro, do you want to go to the Land of Lightning with me later?"
"I don't really care, but what on earth are you going to that remote area for?"
"Hey, don't talk about the ancestral land like that... I remember seeing in the clan scrolls before that there's a ninja clan over there that always uses lightning - attribute chakra to strengthen their bodies. I want to try stealing some skills from them. And don't you lack water - attribute ninjutsu? The environment there is humid, and there are quite a few water - attribute users..."
"Stop spouting nonsense. I don't believe your motives are that pure." Uchiha Hiro curled his lip. "What the hell are you going there for?"
"Well... how should I put it? I think the situation over there is too peaceful." Ling laughed. "How can it be that peaceful where the Kaguya clan is around? That doesn't fit their character at all - right?"
"Humph~ You're really a lunatic, but I'll take on this task." Uchiha Hiro's sneer became more obvious. "How dare they provoke the Uchiha? Those reckless scumbags."
"Come on... It's too harsh to call them scumbags." Ling shook his head and said in a gentle voice. "Puppies are quite cute, aren't they? It's so pitiful for them to be spoken of like that by you."
"...You're the one who's being more excessive." Uchiha Hiro snorted. "Forget it. Anyway, whether they're scumbags or worse than dogs doesn't matter to me. I'll be in the medical department from now on. Come find me when you're ready."
Hearing the two of them casually decide to cause trouble for the Kaguya clan in the Land of Lightning, Madara was a bit stunned. After watching Uchiha Hiro leave, he looked at Ling. "Are we going to start a war with the Kaguya clan next?"
"No no. The Kaguya clan is quite tough to deal with. We have no reason to make enemies on purpose." Ling reached out and ruffled Madara's hair. "I just happened to go to the Land of Lightning for the need of Lightning - Attribute Secret Jutsu, then accidentally encountered the Kaguya clan causing chaos and got involved, so I just happened to kill [a few] people."
Madara: ...What a murderous [coincidence].
However, Madara didn't think there was anything wrong with it. He just nodded and then forcefully dragged Ling back into the house to stop his training and have a good rest.
Just near evening, Uchiha Akihiko came looking for them. Izuna, who opened the door, had a very sour look on his face. He looked up at Uchiha Akihiko angrily and said, "Why do you always come around when our family is about to have dinner? What do you want to do to my big brother this time!"
Uchiha Akihiko could have picked Izuna up and walked in, but thinking about what had happened not long ago, he felt a bit guilty. So he coughed dryly and said, "I promise I'll only take a short time this time. Really, I swear on my Sharingan."
Izuna stared at Uchiha Akihiko with puffed cheeks for a long time before stepping aside. His voice was a bit sullen. "Come in... Let me tell you, Father is also here today. If you dare to do anything to my big brother, I'll go to Father and have him deal with your father."
Hearing this, a smile appeared on Uchiha Akihiko's lips. He raised his hands towards Izuna. "Yes yes yes... I definitely won't even touch a single hair on Ling this time."
"Humph, you'd better. My big brother is in his room. Do you need me to show you the way?"
"No, there's no need to go to the trouble. It's not my first time here anyway, and I'll leave right after I've said what I came to say. I won't stay long." The smile on Uchiha Akihiko's face turned a bit bitter. He squatted down and ruffled Izuna's hair. "Hey, Izuna... Your big brother is really amazing. Just like this time, he's one step ahead of us again."
Izuna looked at Uchiha Akihiko's back and showed a confused expression, muttering, "What? Of course I know my big brother is amazing... How weird. Ah! Right, Big Brother Madara is still in the kitchen! I have to go and help."
Saying that, Izuna deftly closed the door and trotted off towards the kitchen.
On the other side, after knocking on the door, Uchiha Akihiko slid open Ling's door. He saw Ling sitting upright behind the desk, holding a bamboo - carved book and feeling the content on it by touch. Ling only looked up when he heard the sound. "Is that Madara? I'm just about finished with this part. Wait a sec."
"No, it's me."
Ling was startled. Then he released his chakra to sense the outside world. After that, his smile widened a bit. "Akihiko, is your injury better?"
"No, I don't have your strange recovery ability. My wound still hurts like hell." Uchiha Akihiko walked over and sat down opposite Ling. "I came to talk to you about the Mangekyo Sharingan..."
"I see," Ling closed the bamboo - carved book and sat up even straighter. "Go ahead. I'll listen carefully."
"I was called by the elders yesterday to look at the stone tablet that is said to record the Uchiha clan's secrets... To be honest, I'm a bit uncomfortable after learning about it." Uchiha Akihiko let out a long sigh. "It says that the pupil power of the Mangekyo Sharingan can't be replenished. Every time it's used, the user will get closer to blindness."
"It also says how to evolve the Mangekyo Sharingan into the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, so that one can use the pupil power without limit and completely master that power..."
Feeling Uchiha Akihiko's silence, the smile on Ling's lips faded a bit. "Is it a terrible way of evolution?"
"Well... To evolve the Mangekyo Sharingan into the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, one must obtain another pair of Mangekyo Sharingan from someone with the same bloodline. Then, one of the pairs of eyes should be dug out and transplanted into the other person's eye sockets. After that, the other person uses chakra to guide it along a fixed route to make the two pairs of eyes fuse, and thus obtain the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan."
Uchiha Akihiko looked down at his own hands. "How ironic. This power awakens to protect one's loved ones, but to use this power unrestrainedly, one has to sacrifice another loved one."
"Well... It's really a bit off." Ling also seemed a bit distressed. "Although it sounds somewhat reasonable."
Uchiha Akihiko's expression was full of sarcasm. "Now I'm really curious about how many brothers the ancestor who discovered this lost and what kind of thoughts he had when he found these things... Exchanging power with relatives. What a load of crap power."
"Well... I've also seen that stone tablet. But it only says that the Uchiha clan will gain more powerful power by chance..." Ling frowned tightly. "Is it because the eye powers of the tomoe Sharingan and the Mangekyo Sharingan are different?"
Uchiha Akihiko nodded with a low mood. "Yeah, the things seen with the tomoe Sharingan and the Mangekyo Sharingan are completely different. The stone tablet also records many eye jutsu that the Mangekyo Sharingan can use, as well as the Mangekyo that has appeared in previous generations. It should be authentic."
"I see..." Ling folded his arms. After thinking for a moment, he looked up at Uchiha Akihiko. "So... what's your decision, Akihiko?"